2015 ADA/Kellogg executive management program registration opens, due July 1

May 04, 2015

By Kimber Solana

Dentists and office management staff seeking to enhance their business experience and acumen with enhanced management skills and business principles can register by July 1 for the 2015 session of ADA/Kellogg Executive Management Program.

Dr. Spencer Pope

In its 11th year, the executive-level program, organized in collaboration by the ADA and Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, consists of specially designed curriculum for dentists to learn more about business management from one of the nation’s top-ranked management schools.

“Dental school and my orthodontic residency taught me the clinical skills I needed and I learned the necessities of running a practice over time, but I always felt like I was missing the business fundamentals that would that allow my practice to thrive,” said Dr. Spencer Pope, a 2014 graduate of the program who has been in practice for 16 years.

“Unfortunately, you don’t know what you don’t know, and dentists tend to lack the business fundamentals that almost all other sectors of the economy utilize on a daily basis,” he added. “This program helps to level the curve and provide you with a knowledge base to go forward.”

Based on the core curriculum of incoming Kellogg Master of Business Administration students, the program addresses business strategy, organizational leadership, marketing, finance, accounting, economics, business analytics and operations. Kellogg professors teach all courses.

“The biggest takeaway from the program was how important it is to understand your marketplace and your place in it, and then how to position yourself properly within it, not only to maximize your position but also to defend it,” Dr. Pope said. “I now have a much better understanding of how to position myself to maintain the style of practice I desire.”

For Dr. Loren Feldner, a 2011 program graduate, one of his biggest takeaways was becoming more comfortable in negotiations with legislators to advocate for dentistry.

“I decided to participate in the program because I was entering significant leadership roles in organized dentistry in my local, state and national dental societies and associations and wanted to prepare myself at all professional levels for organizational responsibilities,” he said.

The 12.5-day program is held at Northwestern University’s Chicago campus, near the ADA headquarters. The 2015 sessions are set for Sept. 18-21, Oct. 23-26 and Nov. 13-17.

Registration fees are $16,750 for ADA members and $17,750 for nonmembers. Fee includes tuition, course materials and most meals. Tuition does not include travel and lodging. ADA members receive discounts on select Chicago hotels. Registrations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

To register, visit ADA.org or contact Connie Paslaski at the ADA toll-free number at ext. 3541, or email ADAKEMP@ada.org.